06 Oct 2016 --- New research published in the paper, Clinical Interventions in Aging, has found that by supplementing with vitamin E, elderly males can decrease their risk of pneumonia. The study also showed that the risk of pneumonia decreased even more if the participants were light or ex-smokers.
The study looked at whether vitamin E supplementation might influence the risk of community-acquired pneumonia.
Dr. Harri Hemila, University of Helsinki, Finland, analyzed the data of the randomized trial, which was conducted in Finland between 1985-1993 and included male smokers aged from 50 to 69 years.
The researchers found that the age when the participant had started to smoke significantly modified the effect of vitamin E on pneumonia.
Vitamin E decreased the risk of pneumonia by 35% in 7,469 participants who had started smoking at a later age, at 21 years or older, whereas the vitamin had no apparent effect on pneumonia for those who had started to smoke at a younger age.
Among the 7,469 participants who started to smoke at a later age, vitamin E supplementation reduced the incidence of pneumonia by 69% in a subgroup of 2,216 light smokers who exercised in their leisure time.
In this subgroup, vitamin E prevented pneumonia in 12.9% of the participants by the time they reached the age of 74 years, which corresponds to one in eight getting a benefit from the vitamin.
The vitamin did not have a significant effect on participants who smoked heavily or had not been taking exercise.
One-third of the 7,469 participants quit smoking for a period and 27 of them got pneumonia. These 27 cases of pneumonia can be used to estimate the effect of vitamin E on currently nonsmoking males.
The incidence of pneumonia was 72% lower in the vitamin E participants who had quit smoking, and this benefit from vitamin E was also seen among those who smoked heavily or did not exercise.
Although the evidence of benefit from vitamin E against community-acquired pneumonia in elderly males is strong in this analysis, the overall findings are complex, mainly due to the generation of men studied. The participants of the ATBC Study had mostly been born in the 1920s and 1930s, and lived through the World War II years, so are non comparable with today’s elderly generation.
"Even though the 72% decrease in pneumonia risk with vitamin E in ATBC participants who quit smoking may be a real effect, it should not be generalized to current elderly males in Western countries,” said Hemila.
He stated, “Further research on vitamin E in nonsmoking elderly males is warranted.”
06 Oct 2016 --- New research has shown that taking the carotenoid-rich tomato extract (CRTE), Cardiomato, supplement for only two weeks inhibits the oxidation of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), the cholesterol most often associated with heart disease. The study was published in the international peer-reviewed journal, Food & Nutrition Research.
Funded by Lycored, the research carried out by scientists at Naturalpha Clinical Nutrition Center at Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul, furthers the assertion that whole food extracts are more effective than single, standalone ingredients, such as lycopene.
The study builds upon a growing body of research elucidating the role tomatoes play in cardiovascular health. Specifically, the paper sheds light on a particular niche within this field of research: how a specifically standardized tomato extract can support cardiovascular health, by helping to regulate the stress response that naturally occurs after one eats, which is something that can benefit everyone’s health
“The use of a whole food extract from the tomato as a method of addressing the oxidation of LDL, the most dangerous form of cholesterol, and improving the metabolic picture following a meal, is a new concept,” said Dr. Karin Hermoni, category manager at Lycored.
The concept was tested in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study that involved 146 healthy, normal weight adults. Over a two-week period, study participants were randomly given either the placebo, or a proprietary carotenoid-rich tomato extract for heart developed by Lycored, which comprised of a standardized ratio of several phytonutrients that work together to improve cardiovascular health.
These included phytosterols, tocopherols, as well as several tomato carotenoids.
Measurements of the participants’ oxidized LDL, glucose, insulin and triglyceride responses were performed for eight hours after ingestion of a high-fat meal, before, and at the end of the intervention.
Results showed ingestion of the standardized tomato extract significantly improved changes in oxidized LDL response of a high-fat meal, as compared to the placebo, after two weeks.
“Lycored has been involved in multiple studies examining the relationship between tomato extracts and cardiovascular health over the past two decades,” said Hermoni.
“We’ve discovered that our standardized tomato extract for heart, Cardiomato can affect multiple parameters affecting cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure and endothelial function, but there is a particular amount of enthusiasm around this latest research.”
“The fact that this study shows a CTRE can effectively reduce LDL oxidation and manage the stress response we are all experiencing almost every day of our lives is great news.”
Lycored utilizes special standardization techniques in order to keep the delicate balance between the different phytonutrients in this whole food extract to have beneficial effects on key parameters affecting cardiovascular health.
This composition was proven synergistic in pre-clinical studies, allowing for maximal effect in a minimal once a day dosage.
Lycored claims the new study furthers its commitment of being clinically responsible, continuing to test the efficacy of products before and after launch, and the results validate the efficacy of the final composition.
06 Oct 2016 --- Two new animal studies published on the Journal of Berry Research have found that the consumption of raspberries could help to support healthy weight and motor function.
A study conducted by researchers at Oregon State University found that when added to a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, raspberry products and raspberry phytochemicals were found to significantly decrease weight gain associated with a high-fat, high calorie diet.
Raspberry juice and raspberry puree concentrates were provided at 10% of total energy (the equivalent of 200 calories in a 2,000 calorie diet), and a combination of ellagic acid and raspberry ketone were provided at 0.2% weight/weight.
In the study, 76 male mice were divided into the following diets: a low-fat control group (10% calories from fat), a high-fat control group (45% calories from fat) and seven "high-fat treatment" groups that included a high-fat diet plus either raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate, raspberry fruit powder, raspberry seed extract, raspberry ketone and a combination of equal parts of ellagic acid and raspberry ketone.
"The addition of raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate and the combination of ellagic acid plus raspberry ketones to the high fat diet significantly reduced weight gain observed in the high-fat fed mice," said Dr. Neil Shay, Principal Investigator.
"In the case of the high-fat and raspberry juice concentrate diet, weight gain was reduced to a level that was statistically equivalent to the weight gain of the low-fat fed mice, despite the fact that all high-fat fed groups consumed the same amount of calories and more energy than the low-fat control group throughout the study."
The researchers concluded that the intake of a reasonable level of some raspberry food products may influence some of the metabolic consequences of consuming a high-fat, high-calorie diet in the development of obesity in male mice.
"We hope that the findings from this study can help guide the design of future clinical trials," said Dr. Shay.
A second study from researchers from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University evaluated the effectiveness of a red raspberry-supplemented diet on age-sensitive measures of learning, memory and motor performance in older rats.
In the 10-week study, red raspberry supplementation was found to significantly improve motor skills. Specifically, compared to rats fed a standard well-balanced diet, rats fed a diet supplemented with freeze-dried raspberry extract performed better on tests which measured psychomotor coordination and balance, as well as tests that measure muscle tone, strength, and stamina.
"These results may have important implications for healthy aging," said lead researcher Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD. "While further research in humans is necessary, animal model studies are helpful in identifying deficits associated with normal aging."
Future studies are needed to support the results found in both pieces of research.
Source: Nutrition Horizon |
